Five Star First Edition Mystery - Cracks In The Rainbow (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jackhammer dialogue and breakneck pacing highlight this action-packed L.A. thriller. Fans who like their heroes hard-fisted and soft-hearted will find a treasure here."
-- William Kent Krueger, award-winning author

". . . explosive! His books are unputdownable."
- Joe Konrath, author of Whiskey Sour and Bloody Mary

". . . a winner . . . dialogue crackles . . . plot moves like lightning. Once you start reading, you'll never want to stop."
- William Bernhardt, New York Times bestselling author

". . . Bouton comes out with all guns blazing! Crisp dialogue and credible police procedure . . ."
- Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of the Ellie Foreman mystery-thrillers

Product Description

While driving to warn his partner Rick Dover of a lethal group, Stretch's Bronco erupts in a fireball and plunges into a canyon. Stretch's wife tells Dover the group had a computer connection, so Dover takes Stretch's PC to investigate. Dover and his new partner Falcon find hidden FBI files on Stretch's computer. They uncover a plot that is more dangerous and widespread than either of them can believe. Unsure they can trust anyone, the two cops find the stakes rising with every new twist and turn. Before it is all over, gangbangers, cops, and Dover and Falcon collide in a furious free-for-all which none of them may survive. Non-stop action that is sure to please!

Father of four sons, Mark Bouton lives in Kansas, where he writes novels, lifts weights and practices yoga, and often contemplates the universe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (August 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594143498
• ISBN-13: 978-1594143496
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,377 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed detective mystery that's impossible to put down!!, December 16, 2005

By	Anne Barringer "Anne" (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Trust me on this one, if you like detective mysteries, police procedurals, movies, fast action, 3-D Characters, a read that keeps your brain scrambling to put the puzzle pieces together, trivia or all of the above, this book is for you. In a world full of books, very few stand out as true gems. This one delivers on all accounts.

Mark Bouton is to the detective mystery genre the way film noir is to the movies. Think Dirty Harry meets Lethal Weapon meets Mike Hammer, and you're on your way to catching the ride of your life on mystery's highway. The book literally zings through your hands with all the visual and explosive whomp of an action-packed movie, while the pages seem to turn themselves.

Bouton is definitely in a thrilling and temptingly unique class of his own. This is his second book and he just keeps getting better and better. With characters who reach out and whisper their very thoughts in your ears, cutting-edged excitement and enough celluloid references to make any film aficionado smile, there's no way you can put this one down until the very end. His FBI experience puts comes in handy, just putting that extra coat of polish on a great read. This book is one ride you can enjoy over and over again.

Anne Barringer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fabulous police procedural , August 26, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In Southern California, police detective Stretch drives to inform his partner Rick Dover what he has frighteningly learned on his own time when his Bronco exploded and went over the cliff. Officially it looks like Stretch took a turn to fast, but Rick has problems with this scenario because his friend was too good a driver who had driven this relatively mild curve many times. The autopsy reveals an anomaly that does not fit a gas explosion; the victim's testicles were blown away. Rick enlists an ATF pal Harsha to look at the remains of the vehicle and the accident scene. Harsha concludes a bomb was timed for Stretch to go over the edge.

Rick and his new partner Falcon begin finding evidence that Stretch was working on a dangerous case by himself. They find FBI documents on Stretch's computer and a hidden taped card with one word BLACKFLASH. Soon the cops, the Feds, and others will collide with no one expected to walk away unscathed.

Though why the victim pursued his investigation without the aid of his capable trustworthy partner seems a stretch, fans will appreciate this fabulous police procedural that step by step uncovers why the detective was murdered starting with proving a homicide occurred. The story line is cleverly devised so that readers see how the case begins with Rick's doubts that soon mushroom into a wild frenzied skirmish in which so called friendly fire might kill the hero. Mark Bouton provides a pleasurable who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars POWERFUL AND GRIPPING - DON'T MISS THIS ONE!, July 9, 2006

By	Dennis E. Smirl (Topeka, KS USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

L.A. Homicide detective Rick Dover steps into a bigger mess than he ever thought possible when his partner, Stretch, is murdered with a car bomb. At first, Dover thinks it was a horrible one-car accident. Still, as he looks deeper into the mystery, he realizes that it could only be murder. But who would murder his partner? What cases were they working on that might drive someone to plant a bomb in Stretch's car? As he follows the trails of evidence and intuition, he learns that his partner's death is a result of something far more nefarious, frightening, and ...... deadly!
Dover's quest for justice is shared by his new partner, Falcon, and by Stretch's widow, Terri. All three characters will see their lives changed by their brush with evil, as their struggles for justice - and survival - grow ever more harrowing.
This is an excellent first novel in what promises to be an exciting and intriguing series. I can't wait for the next installment!